Key takeaway from this article: Tenure = An Expensive Anachronism. (Naturally there is pushback…) ‘Never Waste a Good Pandemic’: Boulder’s arts and sciences dean wants to build back the faculty post-pandemic — one non-tenure-track instructor at a time.
I love the Hechinger Report for the number of articles it publishes that relate directly to our GGC populations of learners and instructors alike. Here is one from last year of particular interest: New Routes to Success in Learning Are Popping Up Around the Country
Not the most gripping commentary I’ve read on STEM education, but this part caught my interest: “Too often in my neuroscience classes, I taught young women who, despite doing well and displaying an obvious passion and interest in scientific topics, would tell me unequivocally that they were not good at science. They based their conclusion on faulty reasoning — perhaps it was that they hadn’t concentrated their high school studies in science, or that they found certain math classes challenging….
…is food, childcare, and assistance navigating the minefield of unclear expectations (= my needs on any given day…). Here’s an extensive report: Student Needs Are Academic Needs
Not deleting my online video lecture series yet! — but definitely food for thought, esp. at this West Point-pedigreed institution. US Researchers Urge Caution On Flipped Learning
The summary article in Campus Technology (linked here) makes a reference toward the end to a “small fee” that one can pay for the full-length article. Turns out the fee is US$45, and the journal is not part of GGC’s holdings. I’ll update this post once I have the complete article in hand from another institution…
“Sixty-one percent of Americans, Democrats and Republics alike, now believe that higher education is headed in the wrong direction. The rise of mistrust in higher education must be viewed within the context of a resurgence in post-truth politics.” [English profs: shouldn’t that be “believes?”] [Everyone else: Really? “Post-truth???” Jeez.] See the link below. In an Era of Fake News and Growing Public Distrust, Institutions Must Reframe the Narrative
Me too! Here is an article on how much it actually costs to develop an open educational resources (OER)-based course, from soup to nuts, whether you do it on your own or with a team. (Let me know if you want to play with an ALG proposal…) Report Pegs Cost to Develop an OER Course at $11,700
Normally I wait until Friday to sift through all the sci/ed e-mails for interesting articles to post about, but this one merited an emergency post after landing in my inbox (on Wednesday!): Study Finds Flipped Classroom Model Does Not Improve Grades in Health Science Course First learning styles, now the flipped classroom. IS NOTHING SACRED?!?!? (The above = tongue in cheek. Just reiterates the importance of effective instruction — and assessment! — whatever tool/method/trendy gimmick/etc. you use.)
For contrasting points of view, see: 1) Yes! Retakes Do Not Promote Laziness. They Exemplify Compassion 2) No! Why I Give Students Only One Chance on Tests